Design your own Olympic sport! Using some of the more unique Olympic sports as inspiration, design a new sport using the iterative design process to create rules, equipment, and scoring.
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diy olympics | all ages
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The 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan will feature 33 sports and award 339 gold medals. Olympic events can be divided into 3 main categories: games, scored events, and performance events.
Games, like basketball, rugby, and volleyball, are played by certain rules, and the winner of the event is decided by the winner of a tournament of games.
Scored events, like gymnastics, diving, and synchronized swimming, are rated by a panel of judges, and the winner is the individual or team with the highest score.
Performance events are scored by a measurement. For instance, most track and field contests are decided by who ran fastest, jumped highest, or threw something furthest.
This year, the Olympics will include 5 new events: baseball/softball, skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing, and karate. And some of the 33 included sports might surprise you. Did you know there are Olympic competitions for table tennis, archery, and horse riding?
Learn about some of the weirdest Olympic events!
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Each Olympic event has its own set of rules and requirements. Each sport has a unique set of equipment, and a special place where it is played, like a court, field, or swimming pool.
With such a wide variety of sports and games, there’s something for everyone at the Olympics. But what if you were in charge? Design a new Olympic event that reflects your own ideas and interests.
- Will you design a whole new event from scratch, or take inspiration from ones you’ve played or seen?
- Will you create a game, performance event, or an event scored by judges?
- Do you need any specific equipment for your sport? What about a field or arena?
Need more inspiration? Explore all the events included in both Summer and Winter Olympics here.
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When you’re happy with your Olympic event idea, it’s time to start thinking about all the specifics of your game: what are the rules that shape your event? How is it scored? What equipment will athletes use to compete?
Next, choose a new or unique part of your Olympic event and create a model or prototype. Will you design a new piece of sports equipment? A field or court? A new kind of ball? Using whatever materials you have around you, create a model or prototype that shows your ideas.
You might want to add some moving parts into your model. Check out these cardboard construction videos to get some ideas for creating moving parts out of cardboard and paper.
When your new Olympic event is complete, we want to know all the details! Send your name along with the name and description of your Olympic event, and photo or videos or your designs to socialmedia@kid-museum.org.
